1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to catalog management for stores implemented on a communications network, for example as can be used to assist merchants to manage catalogs for Internet stores.
2. Description of the Related Art
The transfer of information over computer networks has become an increasingly important means by which institutions, corporations, and individuals do business. Computer networks have grown over the years from independent and isolated entities established to serve the needs of a single group into vast internets that interconnect disparate physical networks and allow them to function as a coordinated system. Currently, the largest computer network in existence is the Internet. The Internet is a worldwide interconnection of computer networks that communicate using a common protocol. Millions of computers, from low-end personal computers to high-end super computers, are connected to the Internet.
The Internet has evolved to serve a variety of interests and forums. In particular, the Internet is rapidly transforming into a global electronic marketplace of goods and services as well as of ideas and information. This transformation of the Internet into a global marketplace was driven in large part by the introduction of an information system known as the World Wide Web (“the web”). The web is a distributed database designed to give wide access to a large universe of documents. The database records of the web are in the form of documents known as web pages. These web pages typically reside on web servers and are accessible via the Internet. Computers connected to the Internet may access the web pages via a program known as a web browser, which has a powerful, simple-to-learn graphical user interface. One powerful technique supported by the web browser is known as hyperlinking, which permits web page authors to create links to other web pages that users can then retrieve by using simple point-and-click commands on the web browser.
Web pages may be constructed in any of a variety of formatting conventions, such as Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), and may include multimedia information content such as graphics, audio, and moving pictures. Any person with a computer and a connection to the Internet may access any publicly accessible web page. Thus, a presence on the World Wide Web (e.g., an Internet store) has the capability to introduce a worldwide base of consumers to businesses, individuals, institutions and other merchants seeking to advertise their products and services to potential customers. Furthermore, the ever increasing sophistication in the design of web pages and supporting infrastructure, made possible by the exponential increase in data transmission rates and computer processing speeds, makes the web an increasingly attractive medium for these stores.
The availability of powerful new tools that facilitate the development and distribution of Internet content has led to a proliferation of information, products, and services offered on the Internet and dramatic growth in the number of consumers and merchants using the Internet. Commerce conducted over the Internet has grown and is expected to continue to grow dramatically. As a result, the Internet has emerged as an attractive new medium for merchants offering various products and services to reach these large numbers of consumers.
In particular, small businesses, especially those that address highly targeted niche markets, may benefit substantially from a store presence on the Internet (or other similar computer network). The cost of a store and advertising on the Internet can be low compared to other alternatives, and merchants potentially can reach a very wide audience (or a highly targeted audience). However, existing technology for supporting stores, especially administrative functions such as catalog management, are not well suited for smaller merchants. Much of the existing technology is targeted for managing catalogs and inventory for very large merchants. This technology tends to be too expensive for smaller merchants to afford and unnecessarily complex for them to use. In particular, it is often desirable for smaller merchants to have self-serve capability to manage their catalogs and perform other administrative functions. Currently available technology is not well suited for this application.
Thus, there is a need for new approaches to catalog management and other administrative functions in order to better serve these merchants.